Winners at the Royal Alpaca Challenge!

On November 5,6 and 7 we packed up the animals, supplies and our nerve and headed south to Conyers, Georgia to compete in our first halter show. The Royal Alpaca Challenge in sponsored every year by the Georgia Alpaca Association. Shows that are recognized by the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA) are great opportunities to network with other owners and get an evaluation of your animals. We can all suffer from "barn blindness" from time to time when we do not have the chance to see our animals side by side with examples from other breeding programs. There is also the very real benefit of having your alpaca evaluated by a certified livestock judge who specializes in this breed. The judges are bound to AOBA rules and regulations. Generally, the judging criteria in the halter ring is broken down into a percentage divison across the two primary measurable qualifiers for the breed spec: Fleece Characteristics and Conformation. They can be 50/50 (50% fleece; 50% conformation) or 60/40 (60% fleece; 40% conformation. The RAC was a 60/40 criteria for judges.

Since this was our first show, we wanted to chronical all the events with a photo diary. Our photographer on this mission was Debra Webb Gable and "hats off" to her for a wonderful set of photo memories.